Comment by nnq

This also makes sense if you think the evolutionary biology of it: if after a small number of top runners separate from the pack (even if they happen to be the "top" runners of a race by pure luck, and even if their relative order is pure luck), it's better if the 2nd, 3rd runner etc. accept their places at a point and don't push more, because then the top runner will also push more and so on... positive feedback loop until some of them (maybe all!) die of fatigue.

Cowardice of the individual might be a huge survival advantage for the species as a whole!

Without it the species might end up loosing or injuring the fittest of the individuals in stupid competitions. The would be quite detrimental for the species.

(Also going even further from physical performance: If you extend this a bit from "athletic race" to "nuclear arms race" you'd see a similar thing ...but yeah, as an individual player you might "loose" by being coward (although I would not call "staying alive" loosing...).

And an interesting philosophical question would be about the cases where an individual gains courage by loosing "the feeling of being the same species as the others" - we know that psychopaths ca be quite fearless, and we also know from history that if you train your soldiers to think they are "a superior master race separate from the others" they tend to get quite better at winning battles.)